French police arrested 1,314 people during the weekend’s cost-of-living protests, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday, updating the earlier figure of nearly 1,000. Fifty-three officers were hurt, police responded to 75 fires and 24 shops were looted, while official turnout was put at 410,000 nationwide, against union estimates of nearly double that number.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu meets student leaders in Paris on Monday, with the education ministers due to hold a news conference later in the day, after President Emmanuel Macron met high school representatives on Friday. The protests began with student action over school conditions in mid-September and have broadened into a wider cost-of-living movement backed by unions.
On Sunday, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen launched her presidential bid in Orleans before 8,500 supporters, with an Ipsos poll putting her at 32-34% of first-round votes ahead of elections in April and May. For Pakistan, the episode is a reminder of how global inflation pressures are straining household budgets far beyond one country.
Sources: CNBC-TV18, Dawn. Written in our own words for information only.